Deal: Roundtrip Business Class from Singapore to Tokyo with ZIPAIR from S$1,250 (realistically S$1,386)

Japan is open for tourism! ZIPAIR, a low-cost carrier owned by Japan Airlines, is offering good Business Class fares for flights from Singapore to Tokyo.

Key points to note

• Promotional fare of S$1,250 can be found from Jan to Mar 2023
• Look for the fares on Google Flights, book directly on zipair.net
• Flights are non-stop
• Business Class seats lie fully flat (see below)
• Flights will be in wide-body Boeing 787 aircrafts
• 7kg cabin baggage allowance included
• Checked baggage allowance not included (see below)
• In-flight meals not included (see below)
• Airport lounge access not included (see below)
• SIN-NRT departs at 12.10am, lands at 7.55am
• NRT-SIN departs at 4.50pm, lands at 10.40pm

Seat type

As mentioned above, ZIPAIR’s Business Class seats lie flat, in a 1-2-1 cabin configuration.

Add-ons

To keep fares low, ZIPAIR’s base Business Class fares are unbundled and only include the seat and 7kg cabin baggage.

Travellers can select add-ons or get a package to suit their needs.

Checked baggage

Here is the price list for checked baggage per travel direction (one-way):

In-flight meals

Here are the prices of some meals that you can pre-order:

Airport lounge

Passengers departing from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport will have the option of purchasing access to Narita TraveLounge for JPY 1,600 (~S$16).

Unfortunately, there is no option for lounge access in Singapore. However, you can always get complimentary lounge access with cards like Citi PremierMiles!

Add-on Packages

Passengers also have the option to purchase packages instead of individual add-ons.

I find the “Value” package to be the most value for money as it includes everything that I would want/need on a Business Class flight.

How good is this deal?

With the “Value” package added onto your fare, the total cost would be around S$1,386.

In normal times, this would be just an alright Business Class fare.

Overpriced Economy Class fares elsewhere

But we are not living in normal times. After over 2 years, Japan had just opened up for general tourism and demand has been very high.

Full-service airlines like Singapore Airlines are charging around S$990 to S$1,300 for Economy Class flights to Tokyo, while Japan Airlines are charging around S$1,150 for the same cabin class.

Proper Business Class with Alaska miles

There is an option to fly Business Class to Japan by purchasing and redeeming Alaska miles for flights in Japan Airlines.

While it is difficult to find award availability for flights to/from Tokyo, you can easily find availability for Osaka and Sapporo in the next few months.

With the current Alaska miles sale, here’s what you will be paying for roundtrip Business Class flights from Singapore to Japan, depending on the level of bonus that you are targeted with:

Considering the above comparisons, this ZIPAIR deal is a fairly good one.

Best cards for flight bookings

Get a good amount of miles from this booking by using the right card.

You will receive 4 miles per dollar with the DBS Woman’s World card for a total of over 5,000 miles with this promo fare.

DBS Woman’s World Card

Suitesmile card rating:

Sign-up bonus

$150 cashback

more infoGet $150 cashback when you successfully apply as a new credit card customer of DBS. Use code 150CASH during the application.

To receive the sign-up bonus, a minimum spend of $800 is required within 60 days from card approval.

Key benefit

Earn 4 miles per dollar
for online spending

more infoEarn 10 points per $5 block (equivalent to 4 MPD) on online spending for your first $2,000 every month. No minimum spend required.

Annual fee

$192.60
(first year waived)

more infoAnnual fee is automatically waived for the first year. Ask for an annual fee waiver every year after that. We do not recommend paying for this card's annual fee as there are other credit cards with the same earn rate. If fee waiver request is not granted, we suggest that you transfer out your points and cancel the card.

Min. Income
requirement

$80,000/yr
(not strict)

more infoThis income requirement is not strict. Most readers get their application approved as long as their annual income is at least $30,000.

Apply now

Why we like this card

This card awards 4 miles per dollar on all online spending, except for usual exclusions. Men can apply for it too!

DBS Altitude Visa Card

Suitesmile card rating:

Sign-up bonus

Get up to
34,000 miles

more infoNew-to-DBS applicants get 12,000 miles after spending $4,000 within 60 days from card approval. This is on top of the miles that you would receive by spending on the card. If you would like to pay the annual fee of $192.60, apply using code ALTVIS to will receive an additional 10,000 miles. If you do not want to pay the annual fee, use code ALTVISW.

This offer does not apply to existing DBS cardholders.

Key benefit

Earn 3 MPD on
online flight and
hotel bookings

more infoEarn 3 miles per dollar on online flight and hotel transactions.

Receive these earn rates for up to $5,000 spend every month. No minimum spend required.

Annual fee

$192.60
(first year waived)

more infoAnnual fee is automatically waived for the first year. Ask for an annual fee waiver every year after that. We do not recommend paying for this card's annual fee unless if you spend a lot on Expedia flight bookings. If fee waiver request is not granted, we suggest that you transfer out your points and cancel the card.

Min. Income
requirement

$30,000/yr

more infoYou will have to submit prove of income during the application process.

Apply now

Why we like this card

Earning 6 miles per dollar for flight bookings (on selected airlines) is fantastic.

With its 3 MPD earn rate on online hotel and flight transactions, this card is also a good backup for online hotel spending once you have maxed out other cards that offer 4 MPD.

Miles from this card do not expire!

Bottom line

ZIPAIR is offering promotional, unbundled Business Class fare for non-stop flights from Singapore to Tokyo in lie flat seats.

If you are about to pay for an overpriced Economy Class flight, definitely consider this option! If you are planning for a trip to Hokkaido or Osaka, the Alaska miles (Japan Airlines) method would be a better deal.

H/T: matthew from Suitesmile Chat